Game created by OJR grad teaches election process

POTTSTOWN - What began as a simple idea a few years ago, discussed among a former Pottstown-area native and friends, has since become a nationally recognized and award-winning board game based on the U.S. presidential election.

The Presidential Game, which received the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval for 2012 and the Family Review Center’s Gold Award, was created by Regina Glocker. Glocker, currently of New York City, is a graduate of Owen J. Roberts High School and is the daughter of Mary Ann and Karl Glocker, the owners of Glocker Realty, an agency that handles listings in Chester, Montgomery and Berks counties.

Glocker, who now works as a Wall Street executive recruiter, said the game was officially released in July.

The Presidential Game gives players a broader understanding of the U.S. election process. Glocker said that it is a really fun game, yet has an important educational component.

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“We hope that it does encourage people to understand a little bit more the way the political system in this country works and if people understand than you know maybe more people vote or become more involved and that there is some positive outcome that comes from that,” Glocker said.

Although Glocker did not always have an interest in politics, she developed knowledge on the subject after receiving some inspiration from a longtime friend. While attending Dartmouth College for her A.B. in economics, Glocker roomed with Kirsten Gillibrand, who is now a senator for New York.

The Presidential Game is a strategic and interactive board game where two teams, the Democrats and the Republicans, compete for control over each state with goal the of obtaining 270 electoral votes or more. The game is appropriate for ages 11 and up, but children as young as 6 have played with their parents and enjoyed it, Glocker said.

“If an 11-year-old sits down and plays the game they will walk away after an hour actually pretty much understanding the electoral college without even trying,” Glocker said.

Glocker said that one interesting aspect of the game is that you can choose how long each game will take.

“The great thing about the game is that you can decide how many weeks until the election that you want to play. So if you say 15 weeks. Each team has 15 turns. If you say 30 weeks, each team has 30 turns,” Glocker said.

Glocker said the game was created on a tight budget. In February 2012, she was able to raise the initial funding of about $38,000 through Kickstarter, a funding site specifically for creative projects.

In addition to Gillibrand, Glocker said that she had a wide network of people assist her with her vision for the game. One instrumental duo was Russ Patrick and his son, Chris Patrick, who partnered with Glocker to share their knowledge of design. The Patricks own the firm Solution: Design & Marketing Communications LLC, and assisted Glocker with creating the look of the game and game’s website. Glocker said when she thought she had a good game, she contacted the father-and-son design team, who were instrumental in helping her create the final product.

“I think that they did a beautiful job. I mean, the box and the board are stunning and I think that our website is actually really fun, too,” Glocker said.

Glocker also works closely with her brother, Rudy, who she says has been helpful throughout the process. Rudy Glocker, the owner of Pediped, does fulfillment and logistics for the game.

Since Glocker had never created a board game before, she said there were challenges to the process, which made the help she received from friends, family and others invaluable.

After being put in touch with Kate Ryan Reiling, the creator of Morphology and Morphology Junior, through the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network, Glocker said that Reiling served a mentor throughout the process.

Another challenge she faced was with certain aspects of production. Glocker said she and her partners had some trouble coming up with the black tray that comes in the game box. There, her Pottstown-area connections came into play once again. Fred Biesecker, the co-proprietor, chairman, CEO and president of Drug Plastics & Glass Co. Inc. in Boyertown, introduced her to his network. The trays were then made by Andy Fitzsimmons at Fitzpak Inc.

Another thing that sets The Presidential Game apart is that it can be enjoyed by anyone from political enthusiasts to children who are interested in learning about the U.S. electoral college, while having fun.

“First of all, we hope that people have a fun time playing it. We think that it, again, is a great game for kids to play. It’s a great family game and so we hope that people have a really fun time playing the game.”

The Presidential Game is available at Barnes & Noble stores, among other retailers nationwide.